Rejecting the demands for removal of the JPC chairman by 15 Opposition MPs lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Thursday asked the members and PC Chacko to “sink the differences” and sit together for presenting the report to the Parliament. She also rejected the Congress MPs’ demand for removing BJP’s Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad from the JPC.
Rejecting the Opposition MPs’ demand, the Speaker pointed out that there was no rule or precedence on removal of Chairman of Committees. In her letter to all members of JPC, Speaker expressed anguish over the raging controversies and suggested to take decisions by “majority votes.”
“I urge upon the Chairman and the members of the JPC to work out an agreeable solution to end the current impasse and produce a report after adopting the same according to rules, place it before Parliament.”
Asking Chacko and the members to sort out their differences, Kumar reminded them that Parliament in its wisdom, has entrusted to the Chairman and the members of JPC the responsibility of examining the issues relating to allocation and pricing of telecom licenses and spectrum and to report back within a specified time-frame.
“I have read the letters with great anguish. From a perusal of the letters, it is evident that there appears to be a difference of opinion among the members of the JPC both in the functioning of the JPC as well as in the matter of the draft report, which was circulated for adoption and which has led to rival claims for the removal of the Chairman, rejection of the draft report and disallowing certain members from taking part in the adoption of the report,” she said.
Kumar said that in any case, Rule 261 provides that all questions and sitting of a Committee shall be determined by a “majority of votes” of the members present and voting. “All contentious issues can, therefore, be resolved by the Committee having recourse to this Rule,” she said.
According to JPC members, cutting across political lines, after the Speaker’s decision, now the ball is in the Court of Chacko to convene the meeting. “But they won’t attempt for a meeting, because they do not have a majority and know their draft report would be rejected,” claimed Opposition MPs.
Chacko is said to mulling options for seeking the extension of the tenure of JPC, which ceases along with the end of the Budget Session. For this too, either he has to convene a meeting and get the approval of the Committee for extension or as Chairman can directly seek to the Parliament for the extension.
Chacko has started meeting Opposition MPs informally on the issue of convening a meeting. If no meeting or no resolution for extension of the tenure takes place, the JPC and its draft report is expected to cease, sources said.